Hi all there is a really interesting podcast this month from the UK Energy Research Centre on heat and buildings.
Interestingly they comment that the recent gas price increases look like running costs for a heat pump are now likely to be less than a gas boiler.
Here is the URL Taking stock of heat and buildings policy by Talking energy...The UKERC Podcast
Ian
The electricity price is linked to the gas price due to the fraction of electricity generated by burning gas. As long as the electricity price remains inflated by statutory charges and the gas is subsidised I cannot see a heat pump being more economical than a gas boiler other than over short price catch-up periods.
Now if the government decided to end all fossil fuel subsidies/tax advantages and use the money on electricity infrastructure and renewable generation, that would be another matter.
I thought the government had announced that the tax break is moving from gas to electricity, but staged over ten years or so?
Some vague statement of intent has been made but in the meantime any efforts to eliminate gas boilers will fail. A relatively small number of people will change their own homes on principle and because they can afford to but the vast majority will wait to the last minute.
Also, world wide, heat pumps are a major product and the government’s suggestion that increasing sales from a few thousand a year to a few tens of thousands a year will have a major impact on prices is balderdash (showing my age with that word!) On a global scale the change will be peanuts.
Thanks for sharing 